Gardening is a rewarding pastime because it gets you active outdoors while also delivering fresh, delicious veggies. Starting a productive garden takes some work, but with a little perseverance and know-how, you can tend a garden that churns out bucketfuls of colorful and nutritious vegetables year after year. If you’ve dreamed of having a garden, find out how to get started below with these tips.
Designing Your Garden
Choosing where to put your garden and how to arrange it is the first major decision to make. Here are some tips for getting started.
- Choose a spot in your yard that gets adequate sunlight for vegetables.
- If you don’t have the space, container gardens are an excellent alternative.
- Check the health of your soil and correct any nutritional deficiencies with compost.
- If you need to keep your garden safe from curious pets, you could connect with Angi fence installation pros to install a fence around the perimeter.
Choosing Plants to Grow
Picking out the plants you want to harvest is one of the most exciting parts of starting a garden. Here are a few ideas to consider.
- Garlic, carrots and even avocados can all be grown in a small space, including indoors!
- Vegetables such as beans, peas and cherry tomatoes are all easy to grow for beginners.
- Country Living says to not forget about herbs. Mint, basil and parsley all taste better fresh from the garden.
Tending Your Garden
Getting your plants established is only part of the work. Once everything’s growing, you’ll want to tend to your garden regularly. These tips can help.
- If the physical side of gardening is challenging for you, make it easier with raised beds, container gardening, assistive tools, and so forth.
- Weeding isn’t everyone’s favorite chore, but it is necessary.
- It’s also important to watch out for pests that may wreak havoc on your garden.
- Keep an eye on soil moisture and use mulch if you find yourself having to water too often.
- For the best flavor, Burpee suggests familiarizing yourself with how and when to harvest your produce.
- Preserving or donating excess vegetables will help you make the most of your harvest.
Wrapping Up the Growing Season
To have a productive garden year after year, you can’t just walk away from your plot at the end of the season. Here are a few tasks you shouldn’t skip once the weather cools.
- Trim down dead plants, but leave the roots in the soil to keep it more fertile.
- Putting down a layer of leaf mulch can suppress weeds and keep your soil rich.
- You might also want to enhance your soil for the next season by adding aged manure.
Starting your first garden takes some effort, but once you’ve laid the groundwork, it’ll be easier to get fresh produce each year. Designing your garden and choosing what plants to select is just the beginning. For the most productive garden possible, you’ve also got to put effort towards tending your beds during and after the growing season.
